Are you finding it difficult or even impossible to get your baby to feed on a bottle? Did you factor this in as one of the possibilities with caring for your newborn? If you are reading this your response to the first question is yes and no to the second. Most new parents pretty much take it for granted that when they are ready to start bub on the bottle there wouldn't be much to it. As babies are wired to suck on anything placed in their mouths. Not so. Babies can be picky when it comes to feeding.
Heidi found this to be true with her son Noah who refused to bottle feed, she shared her experience: “Hi my name is Heidi and this is Noah. Noah is 6 months old, I just wanted to share a bit about our bottle feeding journey.”
“We had a lot of problems initially trying to get Noah to take the bottle we bought every single bottle in every single store and he just wouldn’t take it and he would play with the teats he would use it as a chew toy and I got quite desperate" Imagine a situation like this, can you not feel the effect this was having on her? This is not a simple want her issue was a need.
"I saw the Minbie add actually on Facebook and although I was sceptical I decided to give it a go and he basically took it straight away.”
The nipple use can make a difference
For many parents, bottle feeding is not easily achieved. One important thing to keep in mind is that the bottle used can make a difference. Thus, many times it comes down to the bottle and nipple. It is of note that despite parental ties babies will react differently. One child may have no issues drinking from a bottle while the other will even if they are siblings or even twins. That is why the nipple shape is key. If the nipple has a shape similar to what bub knows it offers a better chance of success. As Heidi tells it Noah was eventually settled because of the nipple it was close to what he knew:
“It was amazing and I think it comes down to the shape of the teat. He sort of just knew exactly what to do with it. I don’t know it must be similar to my teat I guess. He takes it straight away and I actually tried going back to other bottles and he won't take them. So it was just great he loves Minbie and it basically allowed me to become a lot more independent in the way that he doesn't totally depend on me feeding him.”
Heidi had real anxieties of her baby’s total dependence on exclusively breastfeeding. Generally, parents don't choose to leave their baby, but the reality is it happens.
“So my husband can put him to bed or anyone else looking after him which has given me a lot of freedom and has made me less anxious in the way that if something were to happen to me or my breastfeeding that he can be fed with a bottle and so yeah if you are wondering will that teat be able to go I really would recommend it and as you can see even though he is getting a bit distracted he takes it and loves it…” For more on bottle feeding for new dads click to get tips.
Bottle refusal may not be viewed as too much of a problem once a baby is breastfeeding well. It is a very real problem for parents in the situation. As explained by Heidi it creates anxiety and a feeling of desperation if one’s baby is only dependent on the breast always being there. Breasts are not detachable they are a permanent fixture on mums who for many reasons may not be available.
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